9-year-old Aaron is back to show us how he builds a robot a day. Today, let's go back to building basics. Meet Snail from UKIT Beginner. Pro Tip: If you’re new to robotics, the snail is a great place to start! It’s an easy build and takes about 20 minutes to complete. If you don't have UKITs, you can use the build instructions in the free UKIT EDU app to guide students with drawing a Snail bot, create a similar bot using JIMU kits, or build one using materials you have at home!
Today's Pro Tip: Coding LED Lights with your new interactive robot friend, Owl, from UKIT Intermediate. You can program the LED colors in the free UKIT EDU app to represent the owl’s “emotions.” Red = happy; blue = crying; orange = dizzy. If you don't have UKITs, that's okay! You can draw your own Owl Bot, or build one using materials you have at home. What emotions would you want your robot to express?
Today's Pro Tip: Using a detection radar in your robotics. Up for a bigger challenge? Today's build is Detection Radar using uCode for UKIT Advanced! Brought to you by UBTECH's uCode platform, a free programming software for desktops. #UBTProTip: Once the build is completed, move your hand close to the bot to test the ultrasonic sensor, which sends waves to an object to sense its distance. When you get within a certain range, the bot will show a red light!
Today's Pro Tip: Debugging! We're going to demonstrate with a high tech game of basketball with our JIMU Robot ScoreBot! #UBTProTip: When putting together complex projects and something goes wrong or you miss a step, learn how to debug your process by going backwards one step at a time. This makes it easier to find your problem without starting over. This is made easy on the JIMU app 3D, 360-degree digital instructions but also a great practice to apply in complex projects any time. Remember, you don't need robotics kits at home to build a robot. Use the build instructions in the free JIMU app to guide students with drawing their bot or build one using materials you have at home!
Celebrate the end of the week with a party! Program the LED lights in Strobe light from UKIT Intermediate to set the mood. #UBTProTip: Click the LED color wheel in the UKIT EDU app, and set the strobe light to your own pattern. Can you make it follow a song? If you don't have robotics kits at home, use the build instructions in the free UKIT EDU app to guide students with drawing their bot or build one using materials you have at home!
Think you might have an Amazon Future Engineer at home? Pro Tip: Fill out the brief application and gain access to middle and high school online courses for students 13+: https://edhesive.com/amazon/free_access/apply
Get students coding with guided help. Let a real Virginia Tech instructor lead your student through live and recorded coding episodes in Boolean Girl Presents: Full STEM Ahead: https://booleangirl.org/full-stem-ahead
Pro Tip: You’ll need a Raspberry Pi with Scratch installed. Find instructions here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/scratch-3-desktop-for-raspbian-on-raspberry-pi/
BrainPOP always has fun and engaging materials for kids, and now the video lessons are free! You can follow Tim and his robot Moby through interactive, animated lessons: https://go.brainpop.com/COVID19
Pro Tip: After signing up, try “Robots": https://www.brainpop.com/technology/computerscience/robots/
For your young robot designers with no kits at home, play in The Robot Factory for iOS. This free building app lets kids go wild with their imagination to create, test, and play: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id936966605?ign-mpt=uo=4
Pro Tip: Design a robot that survives all terrains.
What do Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Thomas Edison have in common besides being science inventors? They loved journals! Pro Tip: Bring out your inner inventor and start an engineering notebook on paper or with one of these apps, and use it as inspiration to outline your robotics ideas: https://www.bestappsforkids.com/2019/the-best-drawing-apps-on-ios-android/
What's a different way to get students engaged in STEM? Try robotics! 9-year-old Aaron is building a robot a day with UBTECH’s UKIT EDU app - it's free to download. Don't have a UKIT? No worries–use the build instructions in the app to guide students with drawing and labeling their bot, replicate a similar bot using a JIMU Robot kit, or build one using materials you have at home! First up: The Scorpion. Pro Tip: A servo motor pushes or rotates an object with precision.
Is your kid an animal lover? Try this robot build from the free UKIT EDU app: the Dinosaur! Pro Tip: Be sure the wires are out of the way when adjusting the servo motors on the dinosaurs legs to take action. No UKIT, no problem–use the build instructions in the app to guide students to draw their bot and label its actions. Or, build your own version of dinosaur robot at home if you have a JIMU Robot kit or by using the materials you have already!
Did you know this quadruped can be programmed to do a lot of helpful actions–see how in Unit 3 “A Robot for Rescue” of our free UKIT Beginner curriculum.
Try building a bot that walks and moves like us: the Humanoid bot. Pro Tip: When programming the robot, use a “repeat” coding block to choose the amount of times you want the bot to walk. This is called a loop. No UKIT, no problem–use the build instructions in the free UKIT EDU app to guide students to draw their bot and label its human-like actions, or build one using materials or robotics kits you have at home!
Incorporate physical activity with your kids alongside this next robot from UKIT Intermediate: the Boxer. Pro Tip: You can change the distance values of the IR sensor, which stands for infrared. It’s a light we cannot see. When the light reflects off an object, we can tell how far away it is. No UKIT? Use the build instructions in the free UKIT EDU app to guide students to draw an active robot and label its actions, or build one using materials or robotics kit you already have at home! For instance, get competitive with JIMU ChampBot!
Have your students build and write a short play that interacts with the Traffic Cop, from UKIT Beginner. Pro Tip: Use an “if-then” statement to program the cop’s movement. This is the way a computer makes decisions. For instance, tilt the tablet or phone to see the robot move. No UKIT, no problem–use the build instructions in the free UKIT EDU app to guide students to draw their interactive bot and label its actions, or build one using materials and robotics kits you have at home! The JIMU UnicornBot would be an excellent co-star in a mythical play.
There's more STEM jobs out there than mathematicians and engineers. For instance, some of our favorite movies were created using programming like Autodesk's Tinkercad: tinkercad.com
Check out all the cool experiments and 3D modeling you can do on their site, and who knows.. maybe one day you'll have the next Jack Skellington movie on your hands!
Kids can learn to code like the pros at Apple. Try Swift Playgrounds for Mac or iPad: apple.com/swift/playgrounds/
Pro Tip: Code our JIMU Robot MeeBot 2.0 with Swift: apple.co/2OA7CtY
You don’t have to be an expert to help your children learn robotics. Pro Tip: Try these unplugged activities from Get Smart Coding: https://getsmartcoding.weebly.com/codingrobotics-unplugged.html
A good starting point? Program Robotic Friends (or siblings!): https://youtu.be/xaW3PAzHxCU
Interested in robotics or coding but don't know where to start? Try Nat Geo Kids: Amazing Machines! robot playlist. Answer crazy questions like "What’s a “Flying Robot Rockstar” or a “SuperBot?” and start a most excellent journey into fun STEM topics. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQlnTldJs0ZRJ51jNh0H_tqQpgEw1lBlg
Want your child to impact the world someday? Have them Try Engineering: https://tryengineering.org/students/
Pro Tip: Challenge them to brainstorm tech solutions to a real-life issue.